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Bring a Trailer: 1967 Jensen Interceptor FF

1 of 4If you hate the Jensen FF, no amount of investment in this car will be worth it. If you love it, the gobs of money you will need to sink into this specimen will be immaterial.

Photo by eBay

2 of 4A hint of rust is visible along the edge of the rear window. We wonder what lurks under the paint.

Photo by eBay

3 of 4The interior is rough, but not beyond saving.

Photo by eBay

4 of 4Now that's infotainment!

Photo by eBay

If you're bothering to read this at all, you likely have a strong opinion on the Jensen Interceptor and its all-wheel-drive brother, the FF. Either you loathe the British GTs as ugly, unreliable albatrosses or embrace their quirky mix of American power, brash lines and hand-built character.

Then again, this may be the first time you've heard of Jensen, so the 1967 FF featured on Bring a Trailer is the perfect excuse to review a few of the car's positive attributes. Four powered wheels. A big Chrysler V8 for relative reliability. A rugged TorqueFlite automatic transmission, which isn't completely unwelcome in a big GT designed to eat up blacktop. Distinctive styling. Right-hand-drive coolness.

There are a few downsides, too. But if you're as geeked as we are, then you're probably just going to ignore them and head on over to eBay to place a bid.

Consider the work that's already been done to the car. That includes a rebuilt carb, a cleaned gas tank, suspension work … in other words, all the relatively straightforward stuff -- the small jobs that give a good deal of satisfaction compared to the time, effort and expense one must sink into them. These jobs keep a project moving forward despite the inevitable setbacks and dark moments that come with auto restoration.

What remains for the new owner?

Well, as the seller explains, the Jensen “does have a little bit of rust here and there, but nothing that a good car guy can't repair.”

We've heard that one before. “A little bit of rust here and there” could very well mean a Swiss-cheesed body held together only by paint. It could mean that bank account-draining, marriage-ending, sanity-consuming bodywork awaits.

Or it could just be a little bit of rust. It will take a careful inspection to be able to say for sure.

With six days remaining on the auction, the Jensen is parked at just under $13,000. Hagerty pegs the value of a top-shelf FF at nearly $65,000, and who knows -- if the Interceptor's moment of stardom in the upcoming "Fast and the Furious" flick makes that top-end value double overnight, this Jensen's new owner might recoup some of the restoration costs.

If not, he or she still will, St. Lucas willing, be tearing it up in a Jensen FF come rain, sleet, snow or sand -- and, at that point, the money spent on restoration will be the last thing on their mind.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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